‘The Muslims Are Coming’ delivers a surprising punch line

The Muslims Are Coming!

The film follows a group of Muslim-American comedians on a stand-up-and-public-relations tour who try to win over those skeptical of Muslims, one audience at a time. The film’s directors and stars, Negin Farsad and Dean Obeidallah, gathered a few funny friends, stuffed them into two rented cars, and played free shows at cafes and function rooms in places where Muslims might not be terribly popular. That they head to the South and to Middle America may speak to their own prejudices.

At every stop, the comedians do some sort of public promotion, like setting up an “Ask a Muslim” booth or handing out fliers outside a gun show. One woman is surprised to learn that despite their dress and unaccented speech, Farsad and Obeidallah are Muslim-Americans and not “Muslim Muslims.” An older man says he doesn’t identify as Dutch-American, so why should anyone else put a qualifier on being an American? Everyone should just be an American.